Archive for the ‘Eighties’ tag

It’s no Dual Ghia, but it’ll do. In 1995, at 80 years old, Frank Sinatra had finally retired. He played his last public concert the year before, released his last album the year before that, and Hollywood was falling all over itself to laud him. And with his health failing and his family gearing up for a fight over his fortune, he made sure that his long-time housekeeper at least got something for her service: a 1986 Chrysler Executive limousine that will head to auction later this month.

Though he owned a variety of cars over the years, Sinatra seemed to always return to Chrysler – or, at least, Chrysler-powered – products. Such was the case in 1980, when he accepted Lee Iacocca’s invitation to not only help launch the resurrected Imperial with an ad campaign and even some new songs written just for the campaign, but also a special FS edition of the Imperial, one that featured special blue paint and a leather-upholstered carrying case for the 16 Sinatra cassettes that came with the car. Iacocca reportedly gifted Sinatra with the first of the FS edition Imperials as well as a 1982 Imperial limousine.

Iacocca’s influence apparently kept Sinatra in Chryslers for the rest of his life. The last car he drove was reportedly a 1985 Chrysler LeBaron Town & Country station wagon, but in his latter years he also owned one of Chrysler’s stretched and turbocharged Executive limousines. Conceived by Chrysler executive Bob Marcks as a way to fill a niche that neither GM nor Ford had bothered to touch during the 1980s, the Executive limousine used the front half of the K-car-based LeBaron along with a 31-inch stretch provided by ASC (the Executive sedan’s stablemate for the first couple years, the Executive sedan, made do with just a 24-inch stretch). Along with the stretch, ASC installed the New Yorker’s more upright grille, a division window, and special taillamps.

The Executive limousine went into production in 1983 and for the first few years used the Mitsubishi 2.6-liter overhead-camshaft four-cylinder engine. Only in 1986, the final model year for the limousine, did it get the 146hp turbocharged Chrysler 2.2-liter overhead-camshaft four-cylinder engine. Generally, all of the Executives came well equipped in just a handful of colors, but as LittleLimos.org – the enthusiast site for Chrysler Executive limousines – pointed out, almost no two Executives were identical to each other, with each one displaying minor trim and equipment differences. Over the four-year production span, Chrysler built an estimated 2,187 Executive sedans and limousines, about 138 of them in the 1986 model year.

Whatever Sinatra thought of his limousine – he didn’t appear to have a formal relationship with Chrysler after the end of the Imperial’s production run, though he did have a close personal relationship with Iacocca – he didn’t use it much. By the time he gave it to his housekeeper of 30 years in May 1995, he’d put just 6,500 miles on it. “Even though the bill of sale says that Sinatra sold it to her for $3,500, we think that was just a formality and that he actually gave it to her,” said Jason McCormick. Since then, she has put a little more than 70,000 miles on it.

McCormick estimates that the limousine, which comes with full documentation, will sell for $10,000 when it crosses the block with no reserve. The McCormick’s Palm Springs Collector Car Auction will take place February 20 in Palm Springs, California. For more information, visit Classic-CarAuction.com.

Rust! It gets us all eventually, even Californians. I mean, look at the rust on this otherwise-decent 1983 Jeep Wagoneer for sale on Hemmings.com – just look at it. I mean, really, look for it. I’ll wait. You can’t miss it. Serious. It’s right there, obvious for the world to see. This thing’s gonna fall apart any minute from the rust. Get your tetanus shot, boys! It’s just a shame that the tinworm has eaten up yet another good-running vehicle with so much potential. From the seller’s description:

The Good: 84,000 Original miles. 360 V-8, 4×4. Second owner. Original nutmeg interior in great shape with no tears. Carpet is in great shape. Runs great– new vacuum hoses, new ignition module, new battery, new catalytic converter, new fuel lines all installed 9/13. AC blows cold and was recently recharged. All electric windows and door locks work (passenger rear door lock tends to stick, but does work; all others work great). Newer all weather tires (less than 3,000 miles on them approximately 5 years old). Aftermarket moon roof (does not leak). Headliner is in excellent shape, no sags, stains, or tears. Original paint code is T (Navy blue), so it has been repainted.

The Bad: Dome light does not work (checked the wiring harness under the rug behind driver seat and wires look good). Tape player plays slow, but radio works. Clock only works when headlights are on (starts at 10:10 and keeps time after that). Scratches on the tailgate paint.

The Ugly: There is some rust starting to bubble on passenger doors and rear fender (see photos).

Overall: This is a very nice Jeep Wagoneer Limited, the last of the Wagoneer Limiteds before they became the Grand Wagoneer. Is it perfect? No, but with a little attention (body work and new paint), it could be as nice as a Wagonmaster rebuilt Wagoneer at half the price.

* Adam Martin’s 1968 Camaro isn’t numbers matching. It isn’t Pro Touring. It doesn’t have a five-figure paint job or provenance or some gossamer thread connecting it to some washed-up celebrity. Instead, it’s the car he bought as a pizza boy and that he has wrenched, hammered, and hot-footed ever since, and he wouldn’t have it any other way – except maybe with a five-speed. Petrolicious spent some time filming the Camaro nicknamed Lucy and talking with Adam about what makes Lucy so special.

* A followup to his visit with Keith Weesner, Brian Darwas spent some time with the Upstate New York-based Rolling Bones guys, who have been making a name for themselves over the last decade as builders of well put-together traditional hot rods.

* In anticipation of the 2015 Monte Carlo rally, Axis of Oversteer put together a few videos of the 1984 edition of the rally, including the English-language 11-minute short film above.

When a sinkhole opened up under the National Corvette Museum last February, damaging or destroying eight cars in the museum’s Skydome, most people familiar with the museum showed primary concern not for any of the eight, but for the 1983 Corvette in the museum’s collection—the only one in existence from that model year. It escaped the sinkhole unscathed and now, with the Skydome undergoing repairs, the museum has given it pride of place with a new dedicated exhibit.

Under development since the late 1970s as a replacement for the aging third-generation Corvette—which used a basic chassis that dated back to 1963—the fourth-generation Corvette was slated to use an entirely redesigned chassis and body and to debut amid the Corvette’s 30th anniversary celebrations in 1983. “We were trying to figure out how to bring the car back to date in all aspects,” said David McLellan, chief engineer for the Corvette at the time. “There was new technology that hadn’t been used in Chevrolet or in any automotive application yet.”

While a lot of the whiz-bang gadgets packed into the fourth-generation Corvette—like the digital readouts on the liquid-crystal graphic displays and the Doug Nash 4+3 transmission behind the Cross-Fire small-block—got the lion’s share of the press’s attention, it was the work that McLellan and his crew did in optimizing the Corvette’s handling by moving the drivetrain back in the chassis, that really refined and modernized the Corvette.

However, the goal of producing an all-new Corvette ended up precluding the goal of introducing it for the 1983 model year. Chevrolet went so far as to create a brochure for the 1983 cars, but had to push back production from the fall of 1982 to January of 1983, and as a result, decided to introduce the fourth-generation Corvette as an early 1984 model-year car; a number of reasons for the delay have been reported since then, including issues with retooling and with meeting more stringent emissions regulations.

As with any car, though, Chevrolet built a number of prototypes and pilot cars to test the fourth-generation Corvette before it hit production. According to McLellan, Chevrolet built 18 of the former and 43 of the latter, almost all of which were destroyed during testing or subsequently crushed. Only one—serial number 1G1AY0783D5110023 (also known as RBV098)—survived, if only by happenstance. National Corvette Museum materials peg RBV098 as the fourth pilot car built and note that Chevrolet assigned it to the GM Milford Proving Grounds in August and September 1982.

Chevrolet then returned RBV098 to the assembly plant in Bowling Green for use as a training car and fixture trial car. Once production ramped up, plant employees then set it aside, leaving it to languish outside. According to the museum, plant manager Paul Schnoes then noticed RBV098 in 1984 and ordered it cleaned up and brought inside. For a while it wore a stars and stripes-themed paint scheme, but upon its donation to the museum in 1994—where it went on display during the museum’s grand opening—it reverted back to its original white with blue interior.

Made possible by a gift from the Dyer Family Foundation, the new exhibit for the 1983 Corvette separates it out from the rest of the Corvettes in the museum with retaining trusses and special displays, including a video of McLellan talking about the car.

* While these days we often think of the 1953 Motorama, the first in GM’s series of showcases, in terms of the concept cars introduced there – the Corvette, the Le Sabre, the Buick XP-300, and others – it was more than that, as this King Rose Archives video shows. Fashion shows, ballet, first looks at production cars, and, yes, the dream cars.

* Alex Rosen of Los Boulevardos Car Club put together this chill video showing a typical Sunday morning cruise through Los Angeles with the club and a few of their friends. Looks like a good time. (via)

* Petrolicious’s latest video takes a look at the Caccavo family, which owns three E28 BMWs – a 1988 M5, a 1987 535is, and a 528e – all on the road and used as daily drivers, all bought for less than $10,000.

* Finally, from YouTube user automotorbgcom, a well-done documentary on the background, inception, and production life of the Renault 5, illustrating just how important this little car was to Renault and to French car buyers. (via)

The original muscle car era died in the early 1970s, and by the end of the decade, it looked as if the days of high-performance American cars were behind us. For aspirational cars, many of us who came of age in the early 1980s still looked to the Ford Mustang and Chevrolet Camaro, even if their glory days were largely behind them.

While this 1980 Chevrolet Camaro Z28, for sale on Hemmings.com, couldn’t keep up in the quarter mile with its decade-earlier namesake (the 1970.5 Camaro Z28, to be specific), it was still a car that resonated with car-obsessed teens. Nostalgia counts for quite a bit, so this Camaro’s combination of low mileage, largely original components and well-preserved condition should have little trouble attracting buyers who lusted after the Z28s in dealer showrooms. From the seller’s description:

1980 CHEVORLET CAMARO Z28: 22K mile survivor

-One of a kind example of a Z28
-Only 22,502 miles
-Clean title and no accidents
-Always garaged and pampered
-Solid, rust-free Arizona car
-This is a running, functional vehicle
-Still has original, vintage AZ plates, GM/Body By Fisher T-top bags & never used space-saver spare
-Mature, adult female one-owner car
-All original LACQUER paint that always turns heads
-Stunning, very rare copper color that shimmers in the sunlight. The paint color is incredible and doesn’t look like contemporary two-stage enamels.
-Original Z28 specific color-matched vinyl graphics package
-Original Z28 specific color matched wheels
-Fully loaded with T-tops, power windows and 8-track player. There is no rust whatsoever in T-top channels.
-Original vinyl floor mats
-Built at GM’s old Van Nuys plant
-Originally bought from Lamb Chevrolet in Prescott, Arizona. Dealer still exists for verification
Car still has original dealer stock number tag on windshield
-350 v8 and TH350 trans with all smog equipment intact and unmodified
-Incredibly well preserved car. Only ever used as a secondary, weekend vehicle. Vehicle was last registered in 2008.
-It has spent its entire life garaged in Arizona. Four years in Prescott and twenty-nine years in Metro Phoenix. It’s spent the last 12 months on display in a climate-controlled commercial warehouse in Southern California as part of a private collection.
-One of the cleanest, and most unique examples of a second-generation Camaro Z28.
Vehicle is functional with updates including a new gas tank, fuel pump, fuel filter, shock absorbers, brake master cylinder and power booster. Carburetor had also been rebuilt/cleaned.
Previously mentioned mechanical components have only been replaced/repaired out of necessity.
The engine and drivetrain are entirely original, unmodified, undamaged and never disassembled.
Much effort has been made to preserve the vehicle’s originality.
Accordingly, a replacement differential cover gasket and transmission pan gasket are included with purchase due to slow, minor fluid leaks.

* Crossing a cartoonish 1960s show rod and a shorty VW Type 2 may seem completely and utterly insane, but the end result, which Slammed Sixty posted this week (but the details on which we know nothing about), seems to work. Looking forward to seeing this one done.

* Over at Mac’s Motor City Garage this week, we learned why Packard’s Predictor concept car – built by Ghia – was photographed in front of the Detroit headquarters of Creative Industries: Apparently, the car burned nearly to the ground after delivery, so Packard had Creative do a complete crash rebuild on it.

* Ronan Glon at Ran When Parked detailed the history of the Mercedes-Benz W124 chassis on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the introduction of what would later become known as the E-Class.

* Finally, one more VW Type 2 story – if you aren’t sick of holiday sweets by now, that is. Esarlier this month, a bunch of Bavarians constructed a gingerbread Type 2, which was later auctioned off for charity.

Introduced in 1984, Toyota’s Land Cruiser 70 Series was intended to replace the beloved 40 Series, which cemented the Japanese brand’s reputation for building rugged and reliable utility vehicles. Deciding that Americans wanted a dose of civility in our SUVs, Toyota skipped the U.S. with the 70 Series and instead brought in the better-appointed (but more expensive) 60 Series range. Though Toyota still builds and sells 70 Series models worldwide, they remain unavailable in the United States, at least from new car dealers. This 1988 Toyota Land Cruiser BJ74, for sale on Hemmings.com, is a good example of a desirable early model from the Japanese home market. Equipped with a 3.4-liter inline four-cylinder turbo diesel engine rated at 120 horsepower and 159 pound-feet of torque, this 70 Series Land Cruiser has been cosmetically restored and mechanically sorted by the seller, and comes showing just 104,998 kilometers (65,216 miles) on the odometer. From the seller’s description:

1988 Toyota Land Cruiser BJ74 LX: This 1988 Toyota Land Cruiser BJ74 LX was legally imported in 2014 and then professionally restored to bring the vehicle to a near-new condition. 3.4L Turbo Diesel engine, 4-speed automatic tranmission. Four wheel drive, and factory air conditioning. Low original miles!

Positioned as an uber-expensive and well-equipped off-roader in the United States, the Mercedes-Benz Gelaendewagen is the go-to vehicle of choice for militaries and commercial customers around the world, thanks to its rugged construction and go-anywhere capabilities. This 1982 Mercedes-Benz Gelaendewagen camper, for sale on Hemmings.com, started life as a military-spec ambulance before its repurposing as a civilian camper. Inside, the rig sports a stove, refrigerator, sink, table, toilet, shower and over-the-cab bed, all the essentials for a weekend getaway to the middle of nowhere. Power comes from a five-cylinder diesel that’s racked up a reported 18,000 kilometers, meaning it’s just barely broken in. For those seeking an alternative to a Volkswagen Westphalia, this G-wagen may be just the ticket. From the seller’s description:

We are pleased to present this 1982 Mercedes-Benz GD 300 Camper for purchase. This is an imported from The Netherlands camper that is something you do not see in the United States. The platform is a 1982 Mercedes-Benz GD 300 (a diesel G-wagon). For this conversion, they specifically used G-wagons that were designed to be ambulances for optimal performance. This is a Diesel G-wagon that uses the OM617 3.0L Diesel Inline 5 Cylinder engine. The G-wagon Diesels are one of the most dependable all-terrain vehicles ever built. This is a 4-speed manual and an all-wheel drive SUV. This vehicle combines a well featured camper with the ultimate all-terrain vehicle, and there is truly nothing else like it.

This is a very low mileage vehicle in excellent condition. The odometer reads 17,983 in kilometers which translates 11,174 miles. There are many cool features to the camper that include: water & electricity hook-ups, bed, sink, two bench seats, dining table, cabinets, refrigerator, toilet, shower, awning, stove, and first-aid kit. It recently went through a lot of work that includes: new battery, new fuel line & filter, new v belts, full fluid replacement, repaired & rewired washer system, new front & rear shocks, and a new interior light. This is the ultimate weekend vehicle that nobody else will have!

Chevrolet offered its G-body Malibu Classic in four-door sedan and four-door wagon body styles, but a two-door sedan delivery version was not on the menu. If you’ve been looking for just such a vehicle, here’s good news: at least one 1983 Malibu Classic sedan delivery exists, and it’s for sale on Hemmings.com. Power comes from a standard-issue 350 V-8, bolted to a three-speed automatic, which means that repair parts, when needed, should be easy to source. Per the current owner’s notes, the one-of-a-kind Malibu will need brake work and a replacement rear window, presumably sourced from a G-body Malibu Wagon. On the plus side, it’s said to be rust free, and you’ll likely have no trouble finding it in a crowded parking lot. From the seller’s description: